India on Saturday summoned German deputy chief of mission to protest against the country’s comments on arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying it “undermined the independence of our judiciary”.
The Ministry of External Affairs called George Enzweiler, the deputy head of the German embassy, to lodge an official protest on the country’s Foreign Office Spokesperson’s comments on “internal affairs”.
“We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary,” the ministry said in a statement.
“India is a vibrant and robust democracy with rule of law. As in all legal cases in the country, and elsewhere in the democratic world, law will take its own course in the instant matter. Biased assumptions made on this account are most unwarranted,” added the statement.
The MEA’s “strong protest” comes after a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry said, “We have taken note, India is a democratic country. We assume and expect that the standards relating to independence of Judiciary and basic democratic principles will also be applied in this case.”
“Like anyone facing accusations, Mr Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial, this includes he can make use of all available legal avenues without restrictions. The presumption of innocence is a central element of the rule of law and must apply to him,” the spokesperson of the German Foreign Ministry said earlier,” the spokesperson added.
